


Tunnel Collapse

by thenakednymph



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Buried Alive, Gay Keith (Voltron), Hurt Lance (Voltron), Hurt/Comfort, Lance (Voltron) Whump, Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining, klance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-27
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-03-01 08:34:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23348524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thenakednymph/pseuds/thenakednymph
Summary: Lance winds up pinned during a tunnel collapse. But he manages to shove Keith out of the way so it's worth it right?
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 108
Kudos: 623





	1. Chapter 1

_“Lance we have to go!”_

Lance shakes off Keith's arm and runs further into the tunnel, back the way they came. The lights of his armor flicker on as he runs deeper. 

“ _I'm not leaving her here_!” he shouts back.

He hears Keith protest behind him but blocks him out, scanning the tunnels around him. They branch out in all directions like a spider's web, impossible to navigate without maps. He's going to die if they don't leave. 

Keith is right, Lance knows he is. They're going to blow the tunnels any minute, but he can't leave. He saw her run in here, remembered talking to her about the cave systems. She’d reminded Lance so much of his nieflings, keeps thinking about how much her family loves her. He knows he needs to leave but he _can't_. 

Keith lingers further back by the entrance as the sirens begin to blare, vibrating out of his armor. 

_“We're out of time!”_

“ _Go_!” Lance yells over the sound, terror making his heart rabbit in his chest as the siren screams. He can practically taste the anger in Keith’s voice. 

_“I am not leaving you!”_

“ _Then we're both going to die in here,_ ” Lance fires back, blinking sweat out of his eyes. 

Where is she? He hears a small cry as the ground begins to shake. 

“ _Lorell_!” Lance scoops the young girl up in his arms as the tunnel behind them explodes. Rock and dirt shoot through the air, dust rolling in like smoke, the explosions coming at him faster than he can track. 

Lance clutches the girl to his chest and runs. He can see Keith's lights ahead of him, the opening of the tunnel further back. He feels the bits of rock flying past him, skittering across the ground. It pings against his armor as dust fogs the tunnel, diffusing the lights from his armor. Lance can feel the dirt loosening and slipping under his boots, rocks falling down on his head and shoulders from above. 

He sees the horror on Keith's face, the clouds of dust rolling around him. The softening ground pulls at his ankles, and Lance hears Keith shout his name in raw panic and desperation, his hand reaching out. Lance’s eyes flick to the ceiling, watching as it begins to spider, the stones breaking apart over his head. 

Lance doesn't slow down, doesn't let himself, just shoves Lorell into Keith’s arms, yanking him around by the wrist. Keith flails to hold the armful of crying alien child as Lance hauls him around. Using his momentum Lance drags Keith around and shoves, bodily throwing him towards the entrance. 

The rubble sucking at Lance’s feet drags him down, a swath of raw earth hitting him in the shoulders like thick wet wool and forcing him down. Something hard cracks off his helmet and his head bounces against the floor with a solid crack. The roar of the collapsing tunnel is drowned out by the dirt and stone burying him alive.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith finds out how bad it is and goes for help.

Lance's breath sounds tinny inside the helmet, echoing in his ears. He blinks sweat out of his eyes, trying to catalogue how bad it is when a voice crackles over his comm. 

_“Lance? Can you hear me?”_ It takes him a moment to draw enough breath to respond, something he notes and files away for later. 

_“Please, please let him hear me. I swear if you're dead-”_ Keith says, more to himself than anything and Lance smiles. 

“ _Worried about me_?” he rasps and he can hear Keith scowl, the thought making him laugh. 

_“You absolute ass!”_ Keith shouts and Lance winces, jerking away from the noise even though it doesn’t help. 

“ _God, can you not?_ ” Lance groans. “ _It's a little hard to clean out my ears when I'm buried alive.”_ Lance shakes his head, trying to chase away the ringing from Keith's shouting, squirming to try and free himself. There's a weighted silence on the other end of the line as Lance probes his way through the dirt.

_“Are you okay?”_

Lance tries to lift his head, loose dirt falling away from his helmet and he realizes that while his head was covered it wasn't buried very deep. The rest of him is another story.

It's hard to turn around and look but he sees large chunks of rock, bigger than he is bracketing him on all sides and there's a sharp pressure on his spine. He's pretty sure the only thing keeping his ribs from collapsing under the weight is his armor. He can't feel his legs. 

“ _Pretty sure that's relative_ ,” he says, dragging himself forward experimentally and oh wow, that's pain. Something above him shifts, grinding loose and that pain in Lance's back deepens as the tunnel fills with sound again, dust spilling into the air. A crushing weight collapses onto his legs and Lance screams. 

“ _Fuck, fuck, fuck_ ,” he pants, trying not to move as pain, sharp and white hot stabs into him.

Keith is babbling on the comm but Lance ignores him.

“ _How's Lorell_?” he interrupts, the words grinding out past his teeth _. “Did you guys get out okay? You're not hurt are you?”_ His hands fist into the dirt as he fights through the pain. He has to know they're both okay, that it was worth it. 

Lance spots a flash of light ahead in the dark and hears rubble shifting, panic clawing at his throat. He thinks the tunnel is collapsing again.

“ _Careful! The whole tunnel is coming down_ ,” he warns, hoping Keith isn’t stupid enough to come back for him.

" _When I find you, I'm going to break every bone in your body you stupid, selfless, moron,_ ” Keith snaps. Lance can hear him breathing heavily into the comm.

“ _We're fine,”_ he grinds out a moment later, voice slightly more level. _“We made it out. I'm looking for you now.”_

“ _No! What are you doing_?” Lance has to fight back the need to try to free himself again. He doesn't want to make it worse. “ _I swear if you came back in here Kogane-”_

“ _Oh you'll what?”_ Keith demands, his hand slapping a loose rock away and Lance sees him come squirming into the little passage. Or what's left of it. He works his way through what equates to a crawl space at the top of the rubble, falling the rest of the way down the collapse and into the room. 

“ _I am not leaving you in here.”_ He glares at Lance, crawling the rest of the way over, armor caked with dirt and dust.

Lance smiles through the terror, letting his head fall face first into the dirt and breathes a sigh of relief, hating himself for it. 

“ _Stop making promises you can't keep,_ ” he whispers. 

Keith starts moving rocks to the side, trying to clear a space. _“I'm not.”_

Lance clutches Keith’s wrist, stopping him and takes a deep breath, turning his head to stare at their hands. 

“ _You can't be here_ ,” he says softly. “ _Stop it. You're going to make it worse_.” Lance cranes his head, trying to see as he shoves Keith’s hand away. “ _You're going to make it worse,”_ he repeats. _“I already did. You’ll bring the whole tunnel down on us both.”_

Keith shakes him off. _“Shut up.”_ He starts hauling away rocks, shoveling loose dirt out with his hands against Lance's protests. It isn't long before the rubble begins to shift again. 

Sharp pain explodes in Lance's legs and if it weren't for the pressure and pain digging deeper into Lance's back he'd scream. As it is he can barely breathe. 

Dirt and stone come sliding down around him and Keith covers Lance with his own body, the rubble dinging off his armor until it falls silent again. 

“ _Stop, stop,_ ” Lance pants, his hands scrabbling to push Keith away. The words are breathy and incoherent. “ _Merde_ ,” he gasps. “ _For the love of God stop,”_ Lance begs. He doesn't know he's crying until he blinks, tears spilling from his eyes. Keith pulls away, staring down at Lance. 

“ _God, I think my legs are crushed,”_ he gasps and horror crosses Keith’s face knowing he's made it worse. He shifts around until he can see Lance's face, cheek pressed into the dirt inside his helmet. Lance pants wetly, struggling to draw breath. 

_“I didn't-”_ Keith chokes, looking frantic. _“You were joking around and I thought-”_ Keith’s eyes search Lance's face as he grits his teeth against the pain, fighting not to move. 

_“How bad?”_ Keith whispers. _“I thought you were fine.”_ There’s a note of panic is his voice and Lance gropes blindly for his hand.

“ _It's fine_.” He pats Keith's hand awkwardly. “ _It's fine. Help me get this helmet off, I can't breathe._ ” Keith helps Lance pull the helmet carefully away, wiping sweat off his forehead with his gloved hand and Lance feels his fingers trembling. He tries to smile. 

_“Please tell me how bad it is,”_ Keith whispers. _“I can't help if I don't know.”_ Lance has never heard him sound so afraid.

Lance turns his head, the pressure in his neck somewhat relieved with his helmet gone. He presses his cheek into the dirt.

“ _As bad as I expected it to be, all things considered_.” His breath comes in shallow pants, making his voice thready. “ _Didn’t actually expect to survive the blast.”_

 _“That doesn't tell me anything,”_ Keith pleads. Lance wishes he’d go back to being angry. He doesn’t know what to do with a scared Keith. Anger’s easier. Anger’s familiar. 

Lance sets his jaw and opens his eyes. “Keith, I'm not getting out. I never was.” He turns his head to look up at Keith. “I knew that coming in. It’s why I told you to go,” he chokes out.

Keith shakes his head, his dark hair swaying. Lance isn't sure when he removed his helmet too. “You're going to be fine,” he argues. “We just have to get you out.”

“Keith-”

“No,” he interrupts. “No, I'm not leaving you here, stop saying that.” Lance sees the stubborn, fierce expression sink into Keith’s face like it’s been etched in stone. When he looks like that, not a force in Heaven or on Earth could change his mind. 

Lance feels the fear and regret and desperation building in his chest like a tempest and struggles to swallow it back. 

Keith shakes his head stubbornly. Lance sees black spots begin to fleck across his vision like sparks. 

“If I can't dig you out I'll just have to get the others.” Keith tugs his helmet back on and Lance's heart aches. 

“Please stop making this harder than it has to be,” Lance whispers, struggling not to cry. His body feels slick under his suit and he wonders if it's blood or sweat. 

Keith touches Lance's cheek and he looks up. 

_“I'll be back.”_ Lance wants to tell him it's useless but Keith has never been one to listen. 

Lance is tired and hurting so all he manages is a nod before Keith is climbing up and out the way he came, leaving Lance alone in the dark with only the lights from his helmet for company. 


	3. Chapter 3

Lance passes out and isn't sure how long it takes Keith to return. He wakes to a gentle tapping on his cheek. This time Pidge is with him. He doesn't remember hearing them climbing in. 

“Thought I told you not to come back,” he chokes. He thinks he can taste blood in the back of his throat. The pain is unbearable. 

Lance is covered in sweat, the ground beneath him turned to mud under the stone pinning him and he doesn't want to think about how or why. His ribs feel like they're going to snap if he breathes too deep.

“Thought I told you to shut up,” Keith says softly and without heat. Pidge has a device in their hands and is scanning it over Lance. 

“You're an idiot,” Pidge mutters, their brow furrowed in distress as their eyes flick over the scans. Lance watches them grit their teeth, a muscle in their jaw flexing. 

“I don't think we can dig him out without killing him.”

A wry smile crosses Lance's face. “Told you,” he rasps. Keith ignores him. 

“Can you scan the collapse?” Keith suggests. “Maybe that’ll give us another idea.” 

Pidge nods and starts walking around, the tablet scanning over the room. 

Keith lays down perpendicular to Lance, reaching out to take his hand. Guilt eats away at Lance as he does. This shouldn't be happening. 

“You weren't supposed to come back,” he whispers. He's so tired. 

Keith squeezes his hand and frowns. “You really think I would leave you behind?”

Lance closes his eyes, breathing slowly. “You always do.” It's not bitter, just drained. It isn't meant to hurt.

Keith frowns. “What are you talking about?”

“...tired.” Talking is exhausting. Lance pants shallowly, breathing slow, barely realizing it when Keith reaches up to swipe his hair away from his face.

“Please be okay,” Keith whispers. “I need you to be okay.” 

Lance is too tired to argue. 

~

Pidge tugs Keith away as Lance falls unconscious again and he goes slowly, fixated on watching Lance breathe. 

“What?”

Pidge’s eyes dart to Lance. “It’s bad. There’s no way to clear the rubble Lance is buried under without bringing down the entire tunnel on both him and us.”

Keith drags a hand through his hair, dislodging dirt and debris. “Okay, so how do we get him out?”

Pidge opens their mouth before closing it again, chewing on their lip. They glance to where Lance is lying, half buried under rubble. 

“Keith, I don’t think we can,” they say softly. 

Keith scowls and Pidge holds up a hand to cut him off before he can start railing on them. 

“I don’t want to leave him here but we need more unconventional ideas and with the Galra still wandering around…” They sigh. “Look, I have an idea but I have to bounce it off Coran and Hunk to figure out if it’ll even work.”

“What can I do?”

Pidge glances at Lance. “Stay with him. I’m afraid he’s going to stop breathing.”

Keith’s eyes flicker to Lance and back. “How bad is it?”

Pidge chews on their lip again. “Well it’s not good. He’s losing blood and the pressure on his chest plate is slowly crushing it and compressing his lungs. His legs are crushed and without a pod I’d say he’d never walk again. 

“As it is his kidneys are failing, there’s all kinds of internal bruising and trauma, his pelvis is in pieces-” Pige pushes their fingers up under their glasses and presses into their eyes. “Keith, he’s gonna die.” When Pidge looks at him again there are tears in their eyes. 

“Even if we get him out he’s probably got Crush Syndrome and could still die. We could just end up making it worse by getting him out.” Their mouth works stubbornly as they struggle to hold it together. 

“We have to try,” Keith argues. 

Pidge swallows thickly and doesn’t respond. 

“How much time do we have?”

Pidge rubs at their arms. “Not enough.”


	4. Chapter 4

With Pidge gone. Keith lays down on the ground ahead of Lance, lying on his side so his eyes are level with Lance’s. 

“Hey.”

Lance makes a little noise and stirs, wincing in pain as he does.

“I’m gonna get you out,” Keith promises.

Lance’s face warps with pain and a tear slides free. “Lance, I promise,” Keith whispers, smoothing a hand over Lance’s cheek, smearing his tears. “I’m going to get you out.”

Lance’s eyelids flutter and his skin under Keith’s hand is cold and clammy. 

“Please don’t leave me.” The words are so quiet Keith isn’t sure he hears them but imagined or not they gut him. In this moment, in the fear and despair, Lance’s facade of bravado finally breaks and Keith can hear the fear in his voice.

Keith chokes, shuffling closer. “I’m not-” He swallows thickly, swiping dirt and dust from Lance’s face. “I’m not going to leave you here.” 

Lance’s head shifts, pressing further into the soft ground. “...have to go,” he whispers. “...don’t...want you...to die.” His fingers twitch and Keith shifts around, taking his hand without removing the other from his face. 

Keith feels a tear slip down his temple. “I don’t want you to die either.” He’s never wanted anything more than for Lance to open his eyes in this moment, to see their brilliant blue. 

“Open your eyes,” he whispers. “Please. Lance, open your eyes.” He swipes dust and dirt from Lance’s face. “ _Please_.” 

Lance’s eyes flutter and then open. Keith smiles, running his fingers through Lance’s hair, lying in the dirt and rubble with him.

“There you are.” 

Lance blinks slowly, his movements sluggish. His fingers twitch under Keith’s like he wants to reach for him.

“Why’re you crying,” he asks slowly and Keith’s breath shudders.

“Cause I care about you. And I don’t want to just sit here with my hands tied behind my back watching you die.” He chokes on the words. “But I don’t know what else to do.”

Lance smiles, slow and fleeting. “Not tied…” His fingers flex under Keith’s again. He’s having trouble focusing. “...in mine.”

Tears constrict Keith’s throat. “Right where they should be huh?” he teases, surprised when Lance nods. 

“Yeah.” His lashes flutter, lips parted, kicking up little clouds of dust with every breath.

“You know there’s nowhere else I’d rather be, right?” He squeezes Lance’s hand, petting his hair. “Nowhere but right here, right next to you okay?” He pets Lance’s hair back again for something to do. “I’m sorry. This is my fault.” 

Lance’s eyes blink open again. Keith hadn’t realized they’d closed. “...not Atlas,” he murmurs.

“What?”

Lance smiles. His lips are blue. “Stop...carrying burdens...not your own. You...have never made me do…” He drags in a jagged breath, “anything I didn’t want to.” Lance smiles again. “Tried to stop me.” His fingers stroke against Keith’s hand. “Not your fault.” 

Keith curls his knees to his chest, wrapping his body up around Lance’s head, trying to press closer, to protect him. 

Lance’s eyes are drifting shut again.

Keith pokes his cheek. “Hey, you know what’s going to happen when we get you out of here?” He taps Lance’s cheek sharply when he doesn’t respond. 

“Hey. Come on. You know what’s gonna happen when we get you out?”

Lance hums softly. 

“I’m gonna take you on a date.”

Lance’s eyes finally open and Keith grins when his cheeks flush. “Yeah?”

Keith nods. “Yeah. And you’re gonna say yes. Because you’ll owe me one.”

Lance makes a little noise, a furrow forming between his eyebrows. “Not why I’m gonna say yes.”

Keith blushes. “You just gotta keep breathing okay? Just keep breathing.”

Lance whines, his face screwing up. “...hard.”

“I know. I know it is, but try. You’ll be out soon.” 

Lance closes his eyes and when he opens them again Keith is shaking him awake. He doesn’t know how much time has passed. If he’s been stuck down here for minutes or hours or days. 

“Hey, we’re ready.”

Lance blinks slowly, trying to focus on where Keith is kneeling beside him. His eyes are dry. 

“For what?” His voice comes out in a rasp and he licks his lips, unhappy when his tongue catches on the chapped skin. 

“We’re going to teleport you out from under the rubble.”

Lance’s smile flickers, a watered down version of what it normally is. “...Star Trek,” he mumbles and Keith smiles back. 

“Yeah. Just like Star Trek.” He tucks a lock of dirty hair behind Lance’s ear. “But I have to go okay?” 

Lance frowns and mumbles something Keith doesn’t understand. 

“We’re going to take you out of here but there are some complications with that. So you’re going to end up dropping a few feet through the air and into the pool on the ship. 

“I’m going to be there to catch you but I need you to do your best to hold your breath before you hit the water. Just in case. 

“From there we’re going to stabilize you and stick you in a pod.” Keith doesn’t know how much of what he’s saying Lance understands but hopes at least some of it gets through. 

“Do you understand? I need you to hold your breath just before the teleport begins and then try to hold it as long as possible. Until then just keep breathing okay? You’re gonna be fine.” 

Lance is ashen and there’s a blue cast to his skin. 

Keith presses a small device to Lance’s temple to connect him to the ship and then injects him with some kind of Altean cocktail to try and stabilize him and fight off the Crush Syndrome Pidge was so worried about. 

“Just hang in there. You’re gonna be fine.” 

Keith hurries back to the ship as quickly as he can, Pidge keeping him apprised that Lance is still breathing through his helmet as he goes.

When he gets there the others are already set up and waiting for him in the pool. Coran has pulled out a floating gurney off to the side and whatever he might need to stabilize Lance. 

Keith strips down to his undersuit and puts a device on his ear as his wades into the pool. 

“Lance? Can you hear me?” He waits a moment, listening to the rasping sound of Lance breathe as he runs his hands through the water. 

“Come on Blue,” he says softly. “I need to know you can hear and understand me.”

_“...’m here.”_

Keith closes his eyes with relief and lets out a slow breath. 

“Okay. We’re getting ready to start the teleport. Do you remember what I told you?”

_“...hold- m’ breath.”_

“Yeah, you think you can do that?” 

Keith hears dirt shift and thinks Lance is nodding. “Can’t hear your brains rattle,” he says softly and can feel Lance smile. 

_“Yeah,”_ Lance manages and Keith feels a swell of pride. 

“We’re all here Lance,” Allura says. “It’s going to be alright.”

Keith looks over at Pidge. “Are we ready?”

They nod. “Alright Lance, I need you to hold your breath…” Pidge does something and gives a sharp nod. “Now.”

Keith can hear Lance struggle to take a breath as Pidge and Hunk work and there’s a low hum building in the air. With a loud crack and a burst of light Lance’s body appears in the air above him, suspended for a moment before he’s falling. 

Blood and bits of stone and rubble hit the water with him in a loud splash and Keith winces at the impact. He drags Lance up out of the water, blood clouding the area around them. Keith paddles for the side of the pool, Lance cradled back against his chest to keep him out of the water. He’s too weak to swim. The ledge has never felt so far away. 

“You still breathing?” he pants.

Lance whines, dead weight against Keith, water lapping over his chest. 

“-hurts.”

“I know, I know it does, just hang on. We’re almost there.” 

Coran hauls Lance out of the water and onto the gurney, quickly stabbing him with an injection as Keith scrambles up out of the water. Hunk is already cutting away Lance’s suit, blood spilling out of the fabric, mixing with the water and dripping onto the floor. 

Hunk’s hands are shaking. “Is he gonna-”

“Let me work.” Coran fusses over Lance who’s fallen unconscious before wheeling him out of the room and down the hall to the medical bay. 

He bans them all from entering so he can focus and Allura pulls them away, pressing an assortment of beverages into their hands while they wait. It’s several hours before Coran walks into the dining room, wiping his bloodied hands on a cloth.

The paladins all stand, chairs scraping back. Keith is the first to speak. 

“How is he?”

Coran smiles but it’s fractured and distant. 

“Lance will be out of commission for a while but he’s on the road to healing. His legs will need multiple treatments to fully recover as will his pelvis. The modified pod he’s in has him laying down to keep pressure off both so that his organs don’t slip.”

Hunk gags and even Pidge looks a little green. 

Allura takes his hand and leads Coran to a chair. 

“Will he be alright?” she asks. 

“I...do not know. The pods can do many things but…” Coran swipes a hand over his face and Keith realizes it’s shaking.

“You humans are so...fragile,” he whispers. “I keep forgetting.” 

“But he’s-” Hunk blinks, wiping away tears. 

“Stable as he can be. For now. He will need to be constantly monitored and may have to go into and out of the pod a number of times before he’s fully stabilized. For now it seems his organs have stopped threatening to fail, though I should get back to keep an eye on him just in case.”

Allura presses a hand to Coran's shoulder to get him to sit. 

“Drink this first.” She pressed a cup into his hands. “I’ll go set up the spare cot for you. I’m assuming you’d like to stay nearby.” 

Coran nods, staring blankly at the cup in his hands. 

“Get a shower, a change of clothes, and try to rest.” She pats him on the shoulder before striding from the room. 

Coran rubs at his eyes and Keith realizes he’s crying. The cup in his hand shakes, the liquid sloshing out of it and he struggles to set it down. 

To everyone’s surprise Keith is the first to move. He takes the cup from Coran, placing it on the table and hugs him. It’s awkward with the angle but neither of them seem to care. 

Coran presses his face to Keith’s shoulder, holding him tightly. 

“He’s gonna be okay,” Keith whispers. “We all love him too much to let him go.” 

Coran doesn’t answer, just holds him a little tighter. Hunk swoops in, hugging them both and the other paladins quickly follow suit. 

“We’ll watch him in shifts,” Shiro says quietly. "Everyone stay in contact. I know we’ll all want to know if there are any changes in Lance’s condition.” 

There are nods all around. 

“I know you’re all scared but try to get some rest. We’ve all been through a lot.”

“Can we-” Pidge sniffles, scrubbing a hand over their cheek, dislodging their glasses. “I’m gonna have nightmares if I go to bed now.” 

Hunk puts a warm hand on their shoulder and Pidge leans into it. 

“How about a movie night?” he suggests gently. Pidge nods and Hunk looks at Keith. 

“Can you make everyone some tea Keith?”

“Sure.”

“Coran, how about you find us all some blankets,” Hunk asks, giving him a task to focus on instead. “I’ll get us some snacks.” 

“I love all of you,” Shiro interrupts, “but you’re all covered in dirt and smell terrible. Showers first, then cuddles.” 

“You suck,” Pidge chokes but bumps against his hip as they leave, needing contact. Shiro ruffles their hair and they don’t even complain. 

Keith realizes he’s still caked in blood and dirt. Maybe a shower is a good idea. 

~

Once they’re all sufficiently showered and changed they pile onto the couch together with Coran. Keith doesn’t know if any of them are paying attention to the film so much as each other. Having company and the warmth of the others around him helps keep the edge of fear at bay and eventually they all fall asleep resting against one another. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate this chapter. I'm no good at endings but basically Lance is fine, he's recovering, and they live happily ever after.

Lance’s recovery is slow. He’s on a strict regimen of rest, stimulants, an assortment of Altean medicine, and some very frustrating physical therapy. The paladins are all there to help him through it, but especially Keith. He never seems to leave Lance’s side. Not that he minds. 

At first Lance had struggled with feeling inadequate, his inability to walk leaving him to feel even more like a third wheel than usual. When he opens up about it to Allura one night she holds his hands as he cries, lavishing him with some much needed reassurance. His mood lifts from there and things between him and the other paladins settle. He’s not progressing as rapidly as he would like, but Allura and Keith are both quick to remind him that is not a failure. He’s on track with what Coran had expected and according to him, doing very well. 

Keith isn’t sure if Lance remembers the promise he’d made him in the tunnel and isn’t brave enough to bring it up.

Still, he sticks by Lance’s side and is quick to jump up if he needs anything. Lance has to reign him in once or twice, reminding Keith he’s still capable of functioning on his own. But only after letting Keith wait on him hand and foot for the first two weeks of his recovery. 

Lance reminds him what happened wasn’t his fault though Keith doesn’t seem to believe him. Finally Lance resorts to making a deal with Keith. He’ll stop thinking he’s useless if Keith stops believing it’s his fault. 

Keith’s expression sours but he takes Lance’s proffered pinky, his lips pressing into a determined line. 

“Deal.” 

They’re into the third week of Lance’s therapy when he grows frustrated with his progress again. His bones have mostly healed but his muscles are still terribly weak. 

He struggles to make it to the end of the walkway where Keith is waiting. He keeps his hands on the bars for balance, taking some of the strain off his throbbing legs. They shake beneath him and Lance hates it, hates how weak it makes him feel. He’s made tremendous progress but it doesn’t feel like enough. Why isn't this _easy._

He shakes his head, wiping sweat off his face with a shoulder. 

“I can’t.” His breath comes out in ragged pants. He’s never felt so weak. Even after weeks of this he feels like a newborn foal, all clumsy and awkward. 

“Yes you can,” Keith says softly. 

“It hurts,” he argues, being petulant. There’s nothing Lance wants more than to get back in bed and take the weight off his legs. Allura had walked him through his stretches today, Shiro had spotted him in the pool, and Pidge had soundly kicked his ass in a round of chess. He’s mentally and physically exhausted. This last round of physical therapy is really testing his limits. 

“I know,” Keith soothes. “But you’re almost done, Lance. It’s the last one. Please don’t give up now.” 

Lance looks up at him, breathing heavily, anger flickering in his eyes. His entire lower body feels like jelly. He isn’t giving up, he just _can’t._

“When you get here I’ll give you a reward,” Keith promises. 

Lance winces as he tries to take another step. His legs groan in protest, the muscles stiff and weak. 

“Yeah, like what?” he mutters, shuffling forward.

“Like a kiss.” 

Lance’s head snaps up and he flushes. His stomach flutters, remembering the promise Keith had made him when he’d been trapped in the tunnel. A promise he had yet to make good on. Keith holds his gaze boldly. 

“What makes you think I want one?” Lance looks at the floor, pretending to focus on his feet as his ears burn. 

“You’re walking again aren’t you?”

Lance makes a frustrated little noise as heat spreads to his ears but Keith is right, Lance does want a kiss. He’s wanted one for weeks but Keith hasn’t made a move yet. 

Until now. 

Keith smiles when Lance looks up. He’s only a few steps away. 

“You can do it,” he whispers. 

Lance sets his teeth against the pain and finally makes it the last few feet. 

Keith doesn’t touch him until he’s there, and then he’s pulling Lance into his chest, grinning proudly. 

“You did it.” 

Lance sulks, still embarrassed. His entire body is shaking.

“Told you, you could.” 

“Yeah, yeah,” Lance mutters. He keeps his eyes fixated on Keith’s collar as he blushes, hot and deep. “Where’s my reward?” It comes out petulant and he can feel Keith’s laughter even as he swallows it back down and Lance pouts further. 

Keith noses along Lance’s burning cheek. “Thought you didn’t want one,” he teases. 

“I’m here aren’t I?”

Keith hums thoughtfully, one arm around Lance’s waist, helping support him. 

“Yeah,” he murmurs, “you are.” 

Lance looks up and Keith presses a kiss to his cheek, warm and soft and lingering. When he pulls away Lance is still pouting. Keith can’t resist laughing. 

“I’m sorry, is that not what you wanted?” he teases and Lance scowls but doesn’t say anything. 

Keith snickers, lifting Lance’s chin to kiss his jaw, the crest of his cheekbone, his eyebrow before pressing his lips to the corner of Lance’s mouth. 

Lance is breathing shallowly by the time Keith does, his eyes shut. 

“I’m so proud of you,” Keith whispers before tipping his head and kissing Lance properly. 

It shouldn’t ease the pain but it does. It sinks into the cracks where his bones have re-fused, soothing the ache that never seems to leave him. It does more to relieve the pain than any of Coran’s medicine.

“Still owe me that date,” Lance mumbles when Keith pulls away. 

Keith snickers. “You remember that huh?”

Lance scowls. “Did you think I’d forget?”

Keith’s eyes sparkle and he looks coy. “I don’t know, you forgot the last time.” His voice lilts playfully.

Keith doesn’t expect the wave of embarrassment that washes over Lance, the flush of guilt and shame, or the awkward way he twitches in Keith’s arms. 

“I-”

“Hey.” Keith tips his chin up softly. “I was just teasing.”

Lance bites his lip. “I didn’t forget.” He swallows in fear. “I remember.” His breath shudders in his chest and his dry throat clicks as he tries to swallow. “I remember you taking my hand," he says softly, "trying to help me up when I couldn’t stand. I remember saying we are a good team.” He searches Keith’s eyes. “I remember the way it made my heart race,” he whispers. The memory makes his heart skip again, the same as it always does. “And I remember you carrying me all the way to the medical bay.” 

Keith stares at him, confused, pulling back. “Then why…?”

Lance flushes. “I’ve never liked a boy before,” he whispers, shifting awkwardly. It sends a shooting pain up his leg and Lance winces. “I was scared.” He lifts his eyes to Keith’s. “I didn’t know what to do. So I lied.” 

Keith’s expression falls like he’s disappointed. “And now?”

Lance snorts. “I kissed you didn’t I?”

Keith seems to remember that and a smile pulls his frown back upward again. “Yeah, you did.”

“And you still owe me that date.”

Keith settles, no longer looking ready to run. “Yeah, I guess I do.” 


End file.
